Thursday, October 17, 2013

Happy Birthday Matthew Macfadyen!

Today (October 17th) is Matthew Macfadyen's 39th birthday! Matthew, best known to us P&P Fans as Mr. Darcy of the 2005 Pride & Prejudice film, was born David Matthew Macfadyen in Great Yarmouth, Northfolk, England, UK in 1974 (39 years ago today).

Happy Birthday Matthew Macfadyen!!!

(Mr. Darcy!)

Some interesting MM quotes talking about his iconic Darcy role/character (while you watch an MM Birthday tribute video...though in Spanish, but it included an English translation/subtitles below) worth re-posting again here...

"Some would say, `He’s arrogant’; I would say, he’s misunderstood. And a
fantastic part to play!" (Matthew Macfadyen about his Mr. Darcy role)

Matthew Macfadyen admits Austen’s deft satire and classic caricatures
offered a little levity. So, too, did shooting the film. The reality of
the sweeping, tear-inspiring climactic scene, when Darcy does his best
Byronic stride across a misty field toward his true love Lizzie, was
anything but romantic gravitas, he says. “I’m shortsighted, so I
couldn’t see Keira and the director was waving his red jacket,
screaming, `Left! Turn left.´

“Darcy achieved iconic status thanks to Mr. Colin Firth. So it was
daunting in that respect. But I understood who Darcy was and I
sympathized with him. It makes your job easier when you get a part that
is so well-written.” “I can confirm that there is no
wet-shirt episode in the upcoming version. My pecs and I will not be
seen emerging in a sultry fashion from a lake. I had seen his wet-shirt
scene at an awards ceremony, but I hadn’t really registered the impact
of it. So I was unprepared for the ‘How are you going to make it
different?’ question.” “It was daunting in that I was aware
there was the `Darcy thing,´ and that people are quite proprietarily
about Pride & Prejudice as a whole. ‘Why are they making another
version?’ ‘How dare they?’ ‘You better not fuck it up!’ They’re really
fierce, the Jane-ites. Which is good, because it’s a classic, and it’s
much loved. But I hadn’t seen the BBC version, so I didn’t really worry
about it. Because you can’t as an actor, otherwise you could never play
Hamlet or you could never play Richard III. Actually it was quite
flattering to be in such good company. A lot of people asked me how I
would be trying to make it different from Colin Firth, which is strange
because even if I had seen him, I wouldn’t try, because you couldn’t.
You do what you can do.”

"First, Matthew's the right age. Second, he's a big strong manly man. I
didn't want a pretty boy, boy band kind of boy, I wanted a man, and he's
an incredible actor. I've loved his work for many years and I think he
is an astonishingly good actor. I know also he is not vain; he's not
coming to the role trying to promote himself as a f---ing sex symbol.
He's coming as an actor trying to understand who his character is. He's
interested in people and I think that's probably why he acts and so for
all of those reasons he felt perfect. Also, he is just a big sexy man
and when I put him opposite Keira Knightley they were just astonishing
together." (Joe Wright) “I had never seen the TV dramas or the film, so I was able to look for
the Darcy I had in my head -- and Matthew Macfadyen was the only one for
me. Darcy is 28, and Matthew was 29 when we were shooting. I had no
interest in casting just a pretty boy; Darcy is more interesting and
complicated than that. He’s a young man who has less than ideal social
skills and a huge responsibility. His parents have died and left him
with a massive estate and a younger sister to take care of, and my sense
is that he has had to grow up too fast. Matthew has incarnated Darcy as
that complicated layered person who isn’t easy in his skin and who
isn’t easy to love, yet who is a good person with a sense of honor and
integrity. Matthew, unlike many actors, is not vain, and so was not
afraid to be disliked by an audience at the beginning of the story; we
have to dislike him because we are seeing him through Lizzie’s eyes. And
we grow to love him as Lizzie does.” (Joe Wright)“I went in to read with him (the "rain" scene) and I virtually couldn´t
get my lines out. I just kept staring at him thinking what the hell
happened between you walking in as Matthew and you starting to read
because he actually did turned into Darcy.” (Keira Knightley)

"Then I met Matthew and we clicked immediately. I love him because he’s a
big guy which is actually quite rare on screen today. Filmmakers tend
to go for that slightly more androgynous look these days, which is
lovely, but one of the most romantic things in the world is a manly man,
particularly when, like Matthew, he’s intensely vulnerable as well.
Matthew plays Darcy in a way I’ve never seen before, with huge
vulnerability." (Keira Knightley)

“You need to see that kind of rugged beauty in Darcy, to know that here
is a man who strides across fields and very much manages his own estate.
With Matthew, you can see that etched across his face, yet he’s also
got this extraordinary vulnerability.” (Keira Knightley)

Also, from P&P producer Paul Webster..."The search for Darcy was a long one. We meet everyone, but there was
never really any doubt that it would always be our first choice, Matthew
Macfadyen." (Paul Webster)

Speaking of the DarcyliciousMatthew Macfadyen, I made and compiled a collage of him to show his versatile acting chops and his chameleon faces in various roles he played in his various TV and Film projects from the cute Hareton Earnshaw in Wuthering Heights to a cad Sir Felix Carbury in The Way We Live Now to the iconic Mr. Darcy in Pride & Prejudice to adorable Arthur Clennam in Little Dorrit, to Athos in The Three Musketeers, and Oblonsky (the philandering brother to KeiraKnightley's Anna Karenina) in the upcoming new film, Anna Kareninato name some of his many TV and film work.

In my opinion, Matthew Macfadyen is a very talented, superb, versatile, and an underrated character actor. One of my favorite actors that I'm very glad I discovered almost eight years ago upon watching him as Mr. Darcy in one of my favorite films of all time, which is Pride & Prejudice. Not many actors can do what he can do. He can get into different characters easily and effortlessly and at the same time still do a great job making his characters believable and unrecognizable that you don't see him as Matthew himself, but the character he plays. He's that good...no, not just good, but an incredible, brilliant character actor that should be in more leading roles and films, but instead wisely chooses his film roles in various TV and film projects that showcased his wide range of acting ability in various roles he had played whether he was playing a good or villain character in either leading or supporting role. He has impressively done it all! That's why he's one of my favorite actors and I loved and enjoyed watching him in most of the TV and films I've seen him in thus far....

He even didsome stage plays/theater production work including Private Lives with Kim Catrall in London in April 2010.

Anyway, here are the many character images (FYI: The MM character actor collage has beenupdated below!) of MM in21 23 of his 30TV and films (as listed on IMDB)...MM fans, have you seen them all? (I've seen 151617 thus far...and soon to be 17 or 18 of 21 23!) If so, can you name the characters and TV/Films he starred/co-starred in from the collage below?

1 comment:

Anonymous
said...

And you forget his best film,in my opinion, "In my father's den" (2004).Matthew was incredibly fabulous in Paul Prior 's character !!!I have watched this film in english, i am french, so i don't understand all the dialogue... but with Matthew' dazzling performance,i can watch this film with intense pleasure.

Pride & Prejudice (2005)

starring Keira Knightley & Matthew Macfadyen

Synopsis

Pride & Prejudice 2005Synopsis

When Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley) meets the handsome Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen), she believes he is the last man on earth she could marry. But as their lives become intertwined in an unexpected adventure, she finds herself captivated by the very person she swore to loathe for all eternity. Based on the beloved masterpiece by Jane Austen, it is the classic tale of love and misunderstanding that sparkles with romance, wit and emotional force. Critics are calling it "Exhilarating. A joy from start to finish." (Carina Chocano, Los Angeles Times)

Taglines

Pride & Prejudice 2005Taglines

~*~ Sometimes the last person on earth you want to be with is the one person you can't be without.~*~A romance ahead of its time.

~*~ An opinionated young woman and an arrogant, rich snob overcome their initial antipathy and various other social obstacles to fall in love.

~*~This holiday season, experience the greatest love story of all time.

P&P Soundtrack

01. Dawn02. Stars And Butterflies03. The Living Sculptures Of Pemberley04. Meryton Townhall05. The Militia Marches In06. Georgiana07. Arrival At Netherfield08. A Postcard To Henry Purcell09. Liz On Top Of The World10. Leaving Netherfield11. Another Dance12. The Secret Life Of Daydreams13. Darcy's Letter14. Can't Slow Down15. Your Hands Are Cold16. Mrs. Darcy17. Credits

Music Written & Performed by Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Academy Award Winner Dario Marianelli

Performed by pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet with The English Chamber Orchestra

Must-Read Books

Pride & Prejudice 2005Official P&P Bookmark

Pride & Prejudice 2005Pride & Prejudice Novel & P&P Related Books

Looking for more P&P sequels and related books?Check out the link below for ~*~

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Pride & Prejudice (2005) Blogis a fan resource only (for all P&P 05 actors news and P&P/Jane Austen related news and articles) and is part of Pride & Prejudice (2005) forum. It is, however, NOT affiliated to Focus Features, Working Title Productions, UniversalPictures, its creators, producers, and director (Joe Wright) or P&P Actors Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Rosamund Pike,Simon Woods, Tom Hollander, Jena Malone, Carey Mulligan, Talulah Riley, Rupert Friend, Kelly Reilly, Claudie Blakley, Brenda Blethyn, Donald Sutherland, and Judi Dench. All P&P images, banners, Youtube video trailers and clips, film and actors' images are copyright to their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended. All the materials used here is just for entertainment purposes only and no profit is being made from this P&P fan blog.